Boca leaders want a new school. This land deal might get them in one.

Unused land owned by Boca Raton (in red) at Spanish River Boulevard and Military Trail could be the site for a new elementary school. The city agreed to negotiate with the Palm Beach County School District to have a school built on the land, which surrounds Don Estridge High Tech Middle School. (Courtesy of city of Boca Raton)

The city council supports allowing the school district to build on 13 acres of unused, city-owned greenery that surround Don Estridge High Tech Middle School, on Military Trail and Spanish River Boulevard. The council introduced a resolution about the plan late Tuesday.

This opens the door for negotiation with the Palm Beach County School District, which will ultimately decide if and where the new elementary school will be built.

The 13 acres isn’t planned for park use — or any city use — and the city is desperate for more space for students, said Councilman Scott Singer, who orchestrated the deal with school district officials.

“This is the center of our most populated elementary school districts,” Singer said.